Brookings Library adds bike fix-it station

Brookings bicyclists have a new place to patch up their bikes: a fix-it station recently installed in front of the Brookings Public Library.

Worth about $400-$500, the fix-it station was donated by Ride Across South Dakota (RASDak) and installed by the Brookings Parks, Rec and Forestry Department on June 22.

The stations come equipped with Phillips and standard screwdrivers, a pair of steel core tire levers, a headset and pedal wrench, differently sized cone wrenches and a hex key set. These tools are secured to the station itself by retractable steel cables.

According to Brookings City Clerk and Brookings Bicycle Advisory Committee member Shari Thornes, talk of getting one of these stations began in January 2018, when Brittany Kleisasser, manager at Spoke-N-Sport, began communicating with RASDak leadership.

RASDak was going to stop in Brookings in early June, and the group wanted to donate a station here. The Bicycle Advisory Committee determined that the library would be the best place to put it, given its high-visibility and central location near such amenities as the Children’s Museum of South Dakota.

These stations are not meant to compete with local business, it was clarified. These stations are an increasingly common part of communities across the country, and Thornes said another is being considered at the Dakota Nature Center.

It’s yet another feature added to Brookings’ biking infrastructure in the city’s push to make the city more bike friendly, Thornes said.

“Again, we thank the folks at RASDak for this kind and generous donation, and also to Spoke-N-Sport for really facilitating this to occur.”